Dos and don'ts for practice management: Surround yourself with experts

All highly successful people recognize early that there is a point in which they cannot do it all themselves and should not even try. In fact, they know if they do, their practice will reach an absolute plateau and never move past it. Bill Gates didn't build Microsoft by doing everything himself. Dentists shouldn't either.

Realize the expertise of others will help you. There's only so much you know. Who else can help you get you where you want to be? Who has done it before? Expert outside advisors in financial planning, practice management, and executive coaching can help you achieve more challenging goals in your practice and your life.

Don't think you can go it alone. Perhaps this happens because we are trained as do-it-yourself professionals. Perhaps because of our personalities, we like to micromanage every aspect of our practices. Perhaps it is ego, as it is for many CEOs, that we can do it better than everyone else. Whatever the reason, it is an extremely limiting factor. Dentists wait far too long to bring experts into their lives. The sooner experts are consulted, the sooner the practice can enjoy the benefits.